The Herzliya Conference hosted a fascinating panel debate on Turkey on Thursday, with some of the panelists urging Israel and the West to have patience with Turkey despite its aggressive behavior. Turkish diplomats were present in the audience.
Prof. Soli Ozel of Bilgi University, Turkey, reminded the audience that in 2005, Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan visited Israel and shook hands with Ariel Sharon. Two years later, President Shimon Peres visited and spoke in Hebrew in Turkey's parliament. While it is true that Turkey "appeared to be covering for [Iranian leader Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad" in some ways, he said, it is also trying to balance out Iran's influence in Lebanon, in Iraq and Gaza.
Barry Rubin, of the Inter-Disciplinary Center in Herzliya, expressed Israel's apprehension regarding Turkey: "We should remember what the Turkish model meant two years ago and for many years before that. The Turkish model meant a secular democratic state which was very pro-Western, a loyal ally of NATO, a reliable partner, an opponent of radical regimes. Now the Turkish model has become - 'well, they're Islamist but they're not too Islamist, they're pro-Iran and pro-Syria, and pro-Hizbullah and pro-Hamas, but not too... and they totally disregard Western-US foreign policy interests but not 100%.' Domestically, the Turkish model is a road toward Islamization."
Dr. Constanze Stelzenmuller (German Marshall Fund) said she could understand why Israel is upset, but said that Turkey "slightly overrates its weight" in the diplomatic world. "In the long run, this policy of engaging with Russia, Iran, Syria and others is going to prove disappointing and frustrating [for Turkey] in many ways. In the long run it will find that it has more steady allies in Europe and the US. She urged that the West have "a little bit of patience" with Turkey.